Camera's and power requirements

[FlyWright]

Timjet, this looks like the cameras I have. The specs are on the website. If I can get a part number off the camera to compare, I'll post up here.

 

[timjet]

Al, they look pretty much identical to mine. I got mine in ORD while on a trip. An electronics store next to the hotel had them on sale for $32 each. I got two, one has a 3.4 mm lens and the other a 6mm lens. I wish I had got a couple more.
I got them working off of 120v, and today I will connect them to the 12v ships power.
The picture below is the 6mm camera and it shows the vacuum gauges much more clearly than the 3.4 mm one. The blue tint is due to my cell phone camera.

Al, how did you get the pictures of the cameras in your last post on TF. Did you use a screen grab program?

 

[FlyWright]

I right click the image on a webpage and COPY IMAGE LOCATION, then use the tool above the reply box that looks like a yellow box with a mountain and a sun (or stamp) in the corner to paste the image location link and insert the image into the body of the post.

If they're my pics, I use Photobucket hosting and use the same process to link directly to the image.

 

[FlyWright]

Tim, How did they work on ship's power? Did you try it with and without alternators online?

My boat is primarily 12V and propane. The inverter usually supplies power only to the microwave, coffee pot and 2nd fridge when away from the dock. I have a cheao Haier HDTV that I selected b/c it used 12V power output from the wall wart power supply. I tossed the power supply and plugged it into a 12V outlet near the TV. No need for the inverter and no power problems since I installed it almost 2 years ago.

I believe modern 12V components are fairly tolerant of voltage variances in the 11.5-14.5V range. I might be wrong, but I've never experienced a problem with minor voltage spikes or drops. I've not experienced problems with marine electronics because I try to avoid situations which result in voltage drops. But knowing their sensitivity to power interruptions, I don't include typical marine electronics (chartplotter, sounder, radar) in my "voltage tolerance" theory.

 

[twistedtree]

I would just connect the cameras to the ships 12V system and run with it. It's unlikely you will ever get a reliable answer from the manufacturer on the allowable input voltage range. I can just hear it now; "we only recommend using the AC adapter supplied with the camera". Blah blah blah.

The DC to DC voltage converter/stabilizers are the ideal solution, but will probably cost more per camera than the cameras themselves.

I'd just wire direct and re-evaluate when/if one of the cameras fails.

 

[David Carter]

Do you guys just use these to watch your Gage's or has anyone used them for security? I would love to have a few cameras hooked to a recorder and running on 12v.

 

[THD]

David: Our engine room cameras are just for ER information, but we do have two rear cameras, one facing aft from the boat deck to use docking and one aimed at the rear deck and salon door. I have a friend with the same setup and he has the back deck one wired to a motion sensor to turn on and record. He also has a speaker setup that says "You are now being recorded for law enforcement purposes" whenever the motion sensor is set off! The semi-ingenious part is that the speaker is recessed right beside the camera and he tested it with a lot of friends and the natural reaction by almost everybody was to look directly at the speaker when it went off. Gives a perfect face shot for the camera!

 

[timjet]

Tim, How did they work on ship's power? Did you try it with and without alternators online?

I connected them both to boats power and they worked fine. I haven't started the engines since installing them so can't say about the alternators. I did keep the little ferrites' on them.

When I retire I will have to consider an inverter and bigger battery charger. Presently when we anchor for more than one night I have to run the engines/alternators for about 2 hours to recharge the batteries primarily due to my power hungry refrig. My current 30 amp charger is pretty much worthless. We have a one burner butane cook top that we use for coffee or most anything else when I don't want to start the genset at anchor. This works well.

 

[FF]

"Do you guys just use these to watch your Gage's?"

Watch the gauges? That's very 19th century steam tech.

Murphy Gauges watch themselves and alert on a change for you!

 

[timjet]

"Do you guys just use these to watch your Gage's?"

Watch the gauges? That's very 19th century steam tech.

Murphy Gauges watch themselves and alert on a change for you!

I have some fuel restriction issues I'm trying to track down so I've installed 4 vacuum gauges and a fuel pressure gauge. Installing them at the helm would cost many times what the cost of monitoring them via camera.

 

[FF]

I've installed 4 vacuum gauges and a fuel pressure gauge.

Murphy can supply a differential pressure gauge that will monitor for you and alert you when your settings are reached.

Sounds like a tank clean out and new fuel lines are in your future.

 

[timjet]

I've cleaned out the tanks a couple of times. The problem is the issue is inconsistent. It seems to happen more often when the tanks are less than half full, but then again not always. And it happens on both engines and all 3 tanks. The fuel pressure gauge should indicate by decreasing pressure when a restriction is developing and allow me time to investigate before the engines loose power.

Right now I'm showing about 5" of vacuum and over 20 psi fuel pressure and the engines run fine. The tanks are all full, so I'll be monitoring the gauges closely over the next couple of months.

 

[FlyWright]

Tim, do you have any problems with the vents while refueling? Almost sounds like a vent problem.

 

[FF]

I've cleaned out the tanks a couple of times

If you physically got your arm inside and scraped out all the gunk , and wiped as much clean with a rag , the feed , pickup , hoses etc is at fault.

If "cleaning" was a dock guy with a pump and a hose , you cleaned the fuel inside the tank , but not the tank.

 

[timjet]

Thanks guys, this has been an ongoing problem and the inconsistency is whats makes it difficult to track down. I'm hopeful that with a vacuum gauge on the racor and after the second fuel filter right before fuel goes into the engine mounted filter in combination with the fuel pressure gauge this will help me track down the problem.

Al, I have taken my compressor and blow out the vent lines for all three tanks - they were not clogged and there was no restriction. However the next time this happens (engine loosing rpm) I will remove the fuel cap and see what happens.

FF, it's not possible to access the tank in a way you advised without cutting holes. I have viewed to the extent possible my aux tank and it seems relatively clean. The last time I had the tanks professionally cleaned they put some sort of wand down in the tank in an effort to loosen gunk stuck to the side of the tank. The guys said based on what they saw, the fuel and tanks could not cause my fuel restriction issue.

I am not 100% positive it's a fuel restriction issue. The engines suddenly decay in rpm and when I switch tanks the decay goes away. So my assumption is fuel. I think monitoring the fuel pressure gauge when this decay occurs will determine if this is a fuel restriction issue or something else.

Comments welcome.

Tim

 

[FF]

I would look for an air leak first , as it has no cost.

Disconnect the fitting at the fuel tank and cap the line.

Disconnect the fitting and pressurize with about 10psi and a gauge and a valve.

If pressure holds for 3 hours or more , start with renewing the fuel lines.

IF the lines can be replaced mostly with metal , and only short pieces of rubber to connect , that is more trouble free.

 

[RickB]

Leaks from pressure are not leaks from a vacuum. A line that leaks under pressure may not leak under a vacuum and vice versa. Test for the problem you think you might have, not the opposite.

If you want to test a suction line you test it under a vacuum, test it the way it works. An air leak into a fuel system is a vacuum leak.

 

[timjet]

If you want to test a suction line you test it under a vacuum, test it the way it works. An air leak into a fuel system is a vacuum leak.

Thanks Rick that makes sense to me. I think most people assume that a vacuum leak would also show up as a pressure leak and since it's much easier to produce pressure on a system than a vacuum, hence that suggestion.

A couple of questions:
1. If I had an air leak would it not show up all the time. This decay in rpm only seem to happen when the fuel tanks are below half full? I've pulled one of the pick up tubes out of the aux tank and it is fine.

2. How would I create a vacuum on my fuel system to test it. I have plenty of vacuum gauges to indicate weather the system is holding a vacuum, but how do I create the vacuum.

 

[RickB]

A couple of questions:
1. If I had an air leak would it not show up all the time. This decay in rpm only seem to happen when the fuel tanks are below half full? I've pulled one of the pick up tubes out of the aux tank and it is fine.

If the height of the fuel in full tanks is above the lift pump, and the filters are in good shape, there will be very little if any measurable vacuum created. As the fuel level drops below the lift pump the vacuum required to lift it to the pump suction will increase about 3/4 of an inch of mercury per foot. Filter clogging and long or small diameter tubing will increase this considerably at higher flow rates.

2. How would I create a vacuum on my fuel system to test it. I have plenty of vacuum gauges to indicate weather the system is holding a vacuum, but how do I create the vacuum.

Shut the fuel valve at the tank side. Disconnect the fuel line where it enters the injector pump, connect a clean piece of tubing and suck like mad to create a vacuum. Close the tube off and see how long the vacuum lasts.

OK, if sucking on a diesel line doesn't appeal, try one of these:

 

[timjet]

Thanks Rick, that's a perfect explanation of how an air leak can create the situation I'm experiencing.

I just happen to have one of those hand suction pumps I use to pass lake water through a filter medium that the local university does tests on to record algae content.

 

[timjet]

One last question for Rick, if I have good fuel pressure regardless or what the vacuum readings are can I eliminate fuel restriction as a cause for the engine rpm decay? Fuel pressure is taken at the fuel filter before fuel goes to the lift pump.